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Mr. David Hastings

Bio

David Tate Hastings has been teaching theatre at Olathe South High School since 2002. He has helped run Kansas Thespians since 2005 in a variety of roles including chapter director. He also produced Kansas Thespians main stage shows that performed at the ITF: James and the Giant Peach and Bring It On. David has served on many committees for the Educational Theatre Association, and is currently an elect member of the EdTA Board of Directors. He has adjudicated shows for ITF and judged the scholarship auditions. David has directed over 100 school productions as a teacher. His musicals at Olathe South have been nominated for several Starlight Theatre Blue Star Awards including outstanding overall production in 2003, 2007, 2013, and 2014. He won the Starlight Blue Star Award for Outstanding Direction in 2007 and Outstanding Overall Musical in 2013. David has taken four main stage and two chapter selected shows to the International Thespian Festival since 2010. He has also taken shows to the Kansas Thespian Festival. His students have qualified several times for the English-Speaking Union’s annual Shakespeare Competition in NYC, including two top ten finishes. David’s troupe has received the Outstanding School Award from the Educational Theatre Association. His school was also recognized as the 2016 best high school drama program in the Midwest by Stage Directions Magazine. During the summer, David has directed at Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park. He has served as the theatre facilitator for the Olathe School District. Before teaching in Olathe, David taught at a middle school in Lawrence, Kansas. He was a bank officer and manager for five years before becoming a theatre educator. David has performed in the Kansas City metro area on television and on stage (professionally and in community theatre productions). David studied theatre at Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University. He has a bachelor's degree in theatre/film and a master’s degree in education from the University of Kansas. David's wife, Amy, is the math department chair at Olathe South. Amy and David have three children: Isaiah, Anna, and Noah.